


This Is How You Remind Me

by smittenbritain



Series: RT Writing Community Secret Santa [7]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Grand Theft Auto Setting, M/M, Musicians
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:07:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25537804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smittenbritain/pseuds/smittenbritain
Summary: Fiona runs a nice little coffee shop in a good corner of Los Santos, and every evening she offers up the stage to aspiring musicians. Jeremy, new in town, applies to try out, and Gavin can't help admiring him from the register.
Relationships: Jeremy Dooley/Gavin Free
Series: RT Writing Community Secret Santa [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1441690
Comments: 6
Kudos: 37





	This Is How You Remind Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [staranon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/staranon/gifts).



> This was my Secret Sunshine gift for Star! I hope you enjoy!

_ The Grind _ was a sweet little cafe in one of the nicer corners of Los Santos, owned and managed by one Fiona Nova. It was a cheerful place that tended to be left alone by the many gangs of the city, and whether that was down to the good food and drink or the fact that Fiona would stare down any trouble without fear was debatable. Odds were, the answer was both.

As far as jobs went in Los Santos, it was a pretty good one. Fiona paid well, the staff were always cheerful, and there was even live music.

Gavin watched from behind the counter as today’s musician set up on the cafe’s little stage. He idly wiped down the coffee machine, occasionally peeking over as his curiosity got the better of him. The man was bald, and dressed attractively in some nice jeans and a leather jacket. All he seemed to have with him was an acoustic guitar, but he was still fiddling with other odds and ends over there that Gavin didn’t know anything about. Probably something to do with the microphone cable. 

He leaned in towards Fiona as she waved off the last customer in their line for the moment. “Who’ve we got tonight?”

“His name’s Jeremy,” Fiona said, peering over at him. “He came by a couple days ago, said he saw we were looking for a regular show.” She shrugged, folding her arms. “He sounded like he was new in town and needed the cash, so I said I’d let him try out tonight. If he’s good, he can stay.”

“Looks nice,” Gavin offered, laughing when Fiona batted at his arm. “He does!”

“Don’t fuck my new musician on his first day,” she hissed, but she was smiling too, so Gavin knew he wasn’t in any serious trouble. 

Fiona drifted away to clean up tables while Gavin finished neatening things up behind the counter. He glanced back at the register, just to check, and was startled when he realised that their mystery musician was there. Somehow, he managed to look starstruck, as if  _ Gavin _ was the one who was the talent.

“Hey,” the guy said, offering a little smile, “could I get a glass of water, please?”

He was even more handsome up close, Gavin realised far,  _ far _ too late. He was in  _ trouble _ now, if those warm brown eyes were anything to judge by.

“Yeah, of course.” Gavin smiled back, and turned away to fill up a cup for him. When he returned and the man reached for his wallet, Gavin shook his head as he slid it across the counter to him. “Don’t, it’s on the house. Our musicians always get it free.” Gavin wasn’t exactly sure if that applied when it was a tryout for a musician instead of an actual gig, but Fiona probably wouldn’t mind. “What’s your name, by the way? Don’t think I caught it before.”

“Jeremy,” he said, offering Gavin his hand. He took it to shake, and tried not to think about how nice Jeremy’s hand felt against his own. 

“Then let me know if I can get you anything else, Jeremy,” Gavin replied, grinning. Jeremy’s cheeks seemed a little pink, but Gavin couldn’t tell if it was a blush or a trick of the dim lighting. “Looking forward to hearing your show.”

Jeremy rubbed the back of his neck, looking a little sheepish. “Thanks. I’m about to start, actually, do I need to let anyone know, or…?”

Gavin shrugged one shoulder lazily. “Nah, just start when you’re ready.”

“Alright, thanks, uh…” Jeremy’s eyes dropped to Gavin’s nametag. “Gavin.”

Jeremy scooped up his water and headed back to the stage to get himself ready. Gavin planted one elbow on the counter to quietly watch, until he realised Fiona was looking right at him, amused and fully aware of  _ why _ Gavin was watching Jeremy, and he swiftly got back to work.

* * *

Music had always come naturally to Jeremy. It felt right and easy, from covering songs to writing his own, but he wasn’t quite ready to put the latter out into the world just yet. He’d moved to Los Santos in the hope of making a start on what would eventually turn out to be a career. He knew it was a shaky industry to be in at best, but Jeremy had crossed his fingers as he’d looked for a steady gig to keep him going while he figured out step two of his plan.

Finding the flyer for  _ The Grind _ had been the best thing that could have happened to him. Fiona seemed nice enough, relaxed and funny in all the ways that made her a fantastic manager, and now all Jeremy had to do was play.

That was the easy part. 

He had his set list. He had his guitar. He had a stage.

Jeremy settled down on the chair he’d been given, introduced himself in the microphone, and began to play.

_ “Never made it as a wise man,” _ he crooned,  _ “I couldn’t cut it as a poor man stealing…” _

_ Nickelback _ worked well as entirely acoustic, Jeremy had discovered early on when he’d picked out songs for his list. He had some easy classics lined up alongside it -  _ Hotel California, Sweet Home Alabama, Summer of ‘69 _ \- that always went down well. They were recognisable, easy to play, and fun to sing along with. Sure,  _ How You Remind Me _ wasn’t exactly up there with the others, but Jeremy liked  _ Nickelback, _ and it was a good one to get both his fingers and his vocal chords warmed up.

As he strummed the last note of his first song, applause broke out from the customers gathered in the cafe, along with a few whoops. He laughed a little despite a small smattering of nerves, and while he nodded and waved in thanks, he only had eyes for one person.

Gavin, the barista.

He was beaming and clapping along with everyone else, and Jeremy’s heart swooped.

He’d realised he was a little bit smitten when he’d first laid eyes on Gavin as he came in the door. He’d been busy with a customer and Jeremy had joined Fiona at the stage as they talked, but his eyes had strayed over to the register a couple of times just to admire him. Gavin was handsome with his artfully scruffy hair and glittering green eyes, and Jeremy had spent the better part of his set up desperately trying to figure out how to both talk to Gavin, and how to find out if he was interested. He’d been receptive to a little chat to start with, and if he seemed impressed enough after the gig, Jeremy wondered if he’d be bold enough to shoot his shot.

He finished off with an acoustic version of Livin’ On A Prayer, and by the time he hit the last chorus, plenty of other voices had joined in with his own, and he was smiling hard enough that it was difficult to properly keep up. His fingers didn’t trip once on the strings, though, dancing across them with familiar ease in a deeply satisfying way.

Fiona appeared at the corner of the stage within seconds after he switched off the mic, a grin on her face. “That was amazing,” he said. “You  _ rocked _ that.”

“Thanks.” Jeremy grinned up at her as he zipped up his guitar back in its case. He stood, slinging the strap of it over his shoulder. “So, do you think I got that regular spot…?”

“Dude, it’s already yours,” Fiona promised. “Hey, we’re just about to close up anyway, do you wanna come sit with us for a bite to eat so we can figure out a schedule?”

Jeremy glanced across the room, over at where Gavin was gathering the last of the abandoned cups and plates. “Yeah, I’ll stay.”

* * *

Gavin brought three plates over to the little table, expertly placing them down before he rescued the three bottles of coke from under his arm. Fiona and Jeremy were already deeply involved in conversation with a couple pieces of paper between them. Some were crumpled up and tucked out of the way, but there was one with a list of songs - the ones Jeremy had just played, Gavin realised - and another that seemed to have a rough schedule.

“Thanks, Gavin,” Fiona said, flashing him a smile. She reached for her sandwich to take a bite, while Jeremy cracked open his drink. “So,” she continued, swallowing, “does that work for you, Jeremy?”

“I’m free anytime, I’ll take all the gigs you’re offering.” Jeremy set his bottle down again to offer a warm smile. “I’d play here every night if I didn’t think your customers would get tired of me.” 

Gavin grinned at Jeremy while Fiona looked down at their schedule. “Nobody’s gonna get tired of you, Jeremy.” 

Once again, Jeremy’s cheeks turned a little red, but this time Gavin was  _ sure _ it was a blush.

“I’ve got a couple of other groups that play on Monday and Thursday every week, but I can give you first pick of our other slots,” Fiona said, tapping the pen to her chin. “I try to leave a day open in case anyone else wants it, but you can always snap that up if nobody else does.”

“Sounds good to me.” 

Jeremy was smiling, real and warm and genuine, and Gavin felt his stomach do an interesting little flip.

“Oh,  _ shit,” _ Fiona cursed, standing up. “Hold on, let me grab your pay from the office, Jeremy. Be right back.”

She vanished behind the counter and through the door in the back, and Gavin distantly heard her footsteps on the stairs. Something seemed to spark between him and Jeremy then as he accidentally made eye contact with him, and then Gavin concentrated harder than was strictly necessary on his sandwich.

“Your music’s brilliant, by the way,” Gavin said around his mouthful. “Loved the classics you picked.”

Jeremy grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, I wanted a mix of stuff I liked and what I knew other people would have fun with. I think it turned out pretty okay.”

“You know many others?”

“I’ve got a bunch,” Jeremy assured him. “I’m thinking of putting a few sets together so I’m not always playing the same stuff here. Got any special requests?”

“Nah.” Gavin set his sandwich down again, giving into the desire to focus his attention on Jeremy. “I like what you come up with.”

Jeremy was silent for a moment, hesitating, and then he licked his lips and reached for a scrap of paper. “Okay, so I don’t normally do shit like this, but… can I give you my number?”

Gavin’s heart skipped a beat. “Only if I can give you mine.”

They traded, and Gavin tucked Jeremy’s number safely in his pocket with a grin. Jeremy laughed, looking a little self-conscious as he did. “I didn’t think I’d come out of this with a job  _ and _ a date.”

“You’re a handsome man who played some damn good music,” Gavin said, reaching over to bump his arm playfully. “I was a goner from the start.”

He pulled away as Fiona returned with an envelope in hand. “Here,” she said, offering it to Jeremy. “You know, if you’re gonna be a regular, we can get you a tip jar, too. We’ll put it right up next to mine and Gavin’s on the counter.”

“That’s… you’re too sweet,” Jeremy said as he accepted the cash, “but that’d also be really fucking cool.”

* * *

Jeremy lingered with Gavin and Fiona as they locked up. His guitar was a comfortable weight over his shoulder, one that wouldn’t be too heavy by the time he got home. After all, he wasn’t far; he’d managed to score a nice little apartment just down the road, still in this better area of Los Santos. Jeremy had, admittedly, waited until one had opened up that he could afford before he’d made his move.

“See you tomorrow, Gavin,” Fiona said, waving back at him with a smile. 

“I’m not in tomorrow,” he reminded her, grinning. “You’ve got Michael.”

Fiona paused, turning to face him with an incredulous, but still somehow playful, look; to Jeremy, it felt like it was a joke that she and Gavin had recycled a hundred times. “What fucking idiot made the schedule again?”

“You did,” Gavin replied, snickering.

He and Fiona both burst into laughter as she turned around again, raising her hand once more to give him one more wave.

“So,” Jeremy said, knocking his elbow against Gavin’s, “since you’re free tomorrow…”

“Ooh, smooth.” Gavin linked his fingers with Jeremy’s, smiling down at him. His eyes crinkled at the corners, Jeremy noticed. “What did you have in mind?”

“Beach?” Jeremy suggested. “Arcade? Lunch?”

Gavin tilted his head to one side, looking more than a little fond. “I think I like the sound of all of the above.” He squeezed Jeremy’s hand, and then let go so he could step back. “Beach, arcade, lunch. In that order?”

“You decide and text me what you want,” Jeremy shot back. His cheeks ached from how much he was smiling, but he really didn’t care. 

This, right here, was the start of something good.

As Gavin walked away, Jeremy heard him humming the last few words of his first song of the night -  _ “Are we having fun yet?” _ \- and it put a spring in his step. 


End file.
